Oxytetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It belongs to the group of tetracyclines. Oxytetracycline is included as an active ingredient in various medications that are used both internally and externally. It is used in both human and veterinary medicine.
What is oxytetracycline?
Oxytetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It is included as an active ingredient in several medications. The active ingredient, oxytetracycline, is a metabolite excreted by strains of Streptomyces rimosus bacteria. They belong to the gram-positive bacterial strains that produce antibiotics and are therefore highly useful in human and veterinary medicine. Oxytetracycline was discovered as an effective antibiotic as early as 1949. It was then soon marketed under the trade name Terramycin and was approved for use in both humans and livestock. Glomycin, riomitsin, or OTC are other synonymous names for ocytetracycline.
Pharmacologic action
Oxytetracycline has a growth-inhibitory effect on all pathogens sensitive to penicillin. These include various Gram-negative pathogens such as Klebsiella and Enterobacter species. In addition, oxytetracycline also has a growth inhibitory effect on many Gram-positive pathogens. These include, for example, rickettsiae, chlamydiae, mycoplasmas, leptospires and staphylococci. The protein production of these bacteria is so strongly inhibited by oxytetracycline that they can no longer multiply. The reason is that by inhibiting protein production, these organisms are prevented from growing. This means they can no longer do much damage in the body and organs of humans and animals, which helps the immune system to better defend itself against the pathogens.
Medical application and use
In humans, oxytetracycline is used for effective treatment of pneumonia, bronchitis, otitis media, various urinary tract infections such as cystitis and renal pelvic inflammation, to name a few examples. It is also effective for diseases transmitted through sexual activity. These include, for example, gonorrhea or chlamydia. In this case, drugs with the active ingredient oxytetracycline are used, which are applied internally. In the case of skin diseases, drugs containing the active ingredient oxytetracycline are used for external application. Such skin diseases are, for example, acne, for which oxytetracycline is well effective. Rosacea, a skin disease that can cause red patches, papules and pustules on the face and other parts of the body with clearly visible blood vessels, also responds well to treatment with oxytetracycline in the form of ointments and creams. As with all antibiotics, the broad-spectrum antibiotic oxytetracycline should not be used prophylactically, as this can lead to resistance to the active substance, which is then no longer effective in an emergency. It is equally important to adhere precisely to the instructions for use when using the drug and neither to change the prescribed dosage nor to discontinue the treatment prematurely without consulting the attending physician about this exactly.
Risks and side effects
With antibiotics, it is common for people to be hypersensitive to them or for dangerous interactions to occur with other medications. This is also the case with the broad-spectrum antibiotic oxytetracycline. Possible side effects are therefore skin rash when exposed to the sun, diarrhea, vomiting or abdominal pain, headaches or fungal infections of the mucous membranes. Oxytetracycline is not at all suitable for people who suffer from liver and kidney dysfunctions, who have lupus (SLE) or who have previously had hypersensitive reactions to other drugs containing oxytetracycline or to drugs from the tetracycline group. Oxytetracycline also interacts with other medications, which are listed on each package insert. These include some diabetes medications and also some medications that bind stomach acid. Anyone who needs to take other medications during treatment with oxytetracycline should therefore be sure to discuss the possibility of such interactions with their attending physician beforehand.
